About St. Charles Health System
Leadership Team
James A. Diegel, FACHE
President and CEO for SCHS
A resident of Central Oregon since 1994, Jim Diegel has served as President and CEO of St. Charles Health System (SCHS) since 2006. He was the executive director of the former Central Oregon District Hospital (Redmond) from 1994-2001, the chief operating officer of St. Charles Redmond (fna Central Oregon District Hospital) from 2001-2004 and the senior vice president of system integration at SCHS from 2005 until he assumed the role of President and CEO of SCHS. Previously, Diegel held CEO positions in hospitals in Ephrata, Wash., and the Republic of the Marshall Islands in Micronesia.
His education includes a bachelor's degree in physical science/biochemistry from Michigan State University and a master's degree in health services administration from St. Mary's College of California. Diegel also completed a residency and fellowship at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Diegel is a member of the American Hospital Association (AHA) board of trustees. He also chairs the AHA's Region 9 Policy Board and the AHA's Committee on Performance Improvement. He is the vice chair of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems board of directors. In addition, he holds positions on the Oregon Healthcare Leadership Council and locally on the Central Oregon Health Council board and the St. Charles Foundation board.
Dr. Jeff Absalon
Chief Physician Officer
Dr. Jeff Absalon joined St. Charles Health System in February 2011 as its chief physician officer. Absalon did his undergraduate work in mathematics and biology at Lewis & Clark College, and received his MD from Oregon Health & Sciences University. He went on to complete his internal medicine residency there in 1994. Absalon, a former president of the St. Charles medical staff, has lived and practiced in Bend since 2002, and has been at Cascade Internal Medicine Specialists since 2006. He still practices there one day a week. Absalon has been active in the Physician Hospital Alignment for Central Oregon since 2009, first as its primary care workgroup chair, and now as the chairman.
Dr. Michel Boileau
Chief Clinical Officer
Dr. Michel Boileau joined St. Charles Health System in May 2011 as its chief clinical officer. Boileau received his undergraduate degree at Whitman College in Walla, Walla, Wash., and received his physician training at the University of Oregon Medical School. After completing his internship at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, he returned to Portland and completed his urology residency at Oregon Health & Science University. He then completed a fellowship in urologic oncology at MD Anderson Hospital & Tumor Institute at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Boileau served as chief of urologic oncology at the University of Texas in Houston and subsequently at the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle. In 1987, he went into private practice with Bend Urology, where he has since worked. He continues to see patients there two days a week. Boileau served as chairman of the Physician Hospital Alignment for Central Oregon from July 2009 to spring 2011.
Bob Gomes, FACHE
CEO of Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Prineville and CEO of St. Charles Redmond
Bob Gomes became the CEO of Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Prineville in 2010 and took on the additional role of CEO of St. Charles Medical Center Redmond in September 2011. Previously, Gomes served as Vice President of Physician Services for St. Peter's Hospital in Helena, Mont.
He holds a bachelor's of science from Wayland Baptist University, a master's of business administration and a master's of science in health administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Bob is a board member of Rimrock Health Alliance and also serves on the board of Partnership to End Poverty. He is a member of the Prineville Kiwanis board and serves on the Prineville Economic Development Council advisory committee.
Jay Henry
CEO of St. Charles in Bend
Jay Henry took on the role of CEO at St. Charles Bend in 2008. Previously he was the CEO of Mountain View Hospital in Madras and held management positions at Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles and at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.
He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from James Madison University and a master's of health administration from Medical College of Virginia.
Jay is the chair of the Central Oregon hospital network, or CONET, board, serves on the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems quality committee and is a member of the Greater Bend Rotary Club.
Rick Martin
Vice President of Service Lines
Rick Martin was hired at St. Charles in 1979 as the director of Human Resources and has held a variety of upper management positions within the organization over the past 30 years.
He holds a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University and a master's in business administration from Concordia University.
Rick has served as a board member for the KIDS Center, a nonprofit dedicated to combating child abuse in Central Oregon.
Kirk Schueler
Chief Administrative Officer
Kirk Schueler became Chief Administrative Officer for St. Charles Health System in January 2011. Prior to taking on his current position, he spent 11 years serving as President of Brooks Resources, a real estate development company based in Bend.
Kirk has a background in accounting and was a certified public accountant licensed in Oregon until 2002. He holds a bachelor of arts in accounting from the University of Oregon and a bachelor's of science in renewable natural resources from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Currently, Kirk is a member of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, the Brooks Resources Corporation board, The Bend Foundation board, the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation board and the Building a Better Bend board.
Karen Shepard, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Karen Shepard took on the role of Chief Financial Officer for St. Charles Health System in 2009. Previously, Karen worked for PeaceHealth Oregon Region in Eugene and has also worked in finance for Legacy Health System, for Providence Health System and for Physician Partners, Inc./HealthFirst Medical Group in Portland.
She is a trained certified public accountant with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Portland State University and a master's in business administration from the University of Oregon.
Karen sits on the Bend Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
Pam Steinke, RN
Chief Nurse Executive and Vice President, Quality
Pam Steinke began her nursing career at Central Oregon District Hospital in Redmond in 1979. She has worked in a variety of nursing and management positions at St. Charles Health System for more than 30 years and has held her current position since 2008.
Her education includes as associate degree in nursing from Blue Mountain Community College, a bachelor's of science in nursing and a master's of science in nursing healthcare administration both from Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.
Pam is a member of the Northwest Organization of Nurse Executives' board, the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades board and the Rural Fire Protection District 1 board. She also serves as a coach and advisor for the Oregon High School Equestrian Team.
Bill Winnenberg
Chief Information Officer
Bill Winnenberg has held his current position since 2008. Previously, Bill worked for OhioHealth in a variety of management positions including as Vice President and Chief Information Officer.
His education includes a bachelor's of arts from Ohio University.
Bill currently serves on the Mosaic Medical board of directors and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems Health IT Technical Advisory Committee.